Point in Common speaker is Oct. 6

STEVENS POINT — Public education and school choice options will be the focus of the first 2015-16 community speaker series “Point in Common.”

University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Julie Mead will discuss, “The War on Public Education and What it Means for You.” Her presentation is at 7 p.m. on Oct. 6 at the Sentry Theater, 1800 North Point Dr. The event is free and open to the public.

Point in Common is a collaboration of several local organizations interested in K4-12 educational success. Her talk is intended for parents, educators, students, business professionals and community members.

Mead is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. She researches the legal issues associated with various forms of publicly funded parental choice. Mead is a former special education teacher and administrator. Mead has written or edited books including “Charter Schools and the Law: Establishing New Legal Relationships,” “Legal Aspects of Special Education and Pupil Services” and “The Principal’s Legal Handbook.”

Mead will share her research about forms of school privatization, including school vouchers, which use tax dollars to support tuition at private schools. She will discuss the trade-offs in various forms of school choice, the history of Wisconsin's voucher and charter school programs and the implications of those policies on public education.

The second “Point in Common” talk will be held Feb. 16, 2016, featuring New York Times best-selling author Dave Burgess, who wrote “Teach Like a Pirate.”

The series is sponsored by the Stevens Point Area Public School District, Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools, UW-Stevens Point School of Education, Mid-State Technical College, Sentry Insurance, Okray Family Farms, Phi Delta Kappa and the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin.

To register or for more information, visit www.pointincommon.org. Free child care is available during the talk at Schmeeckle Reserve Visitors Center.